A Dance For The Road
by Carrie88
Summary: Reno is the last customer for the night at 7th Heaven and has a request. It's my first fanfic ever so be kind! Oneshot. T to be on the safe side.


Author's Note: This is my first FFVII fanfic ever so please be kind and I'm sorry if anyone is annoyingly OOC! I love Reno and Tifa together, so I thought this was a good place to start! Enjoy. :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing…I just borrow the characters and play with them! Please don't sue me!

A Dance For The Road

Tifa sighed as she looked at the clock. Yet another slow night…another night with no money to show for her hard work. It was hard to be upset though. The city was finally getting back on its feet again and Geostigma was a thing of the past, so people were less inclined to drown their sorrows in booze. She should be happy…ecstatic even, but the truth was she was lonely.

Marlene was with Barret for a few days and Cloud had taken Denzel with him to do some male bonding…whatever that means, she thought with a smile. Since the defeat of the remnants, Cloud really was making an effort to be there for both Tifa and the children. He still disappeared once and a while, but at least he would talk to her about it now.

"Ya know, I can see it's just a bustling in here, but could a worked to death guy get a refill here?"

Tifa rolled her eyes and glared half-heartedly at her lone customer for interrupting her musings. She reached for the bottle of vodka she had been using to fill his shot glass for the better part of the night.

"Don't you know how to say 'please', you no good Turk?" she asked.

Reno looked up at her and smirked. "Nope. Do you know how hot you look when you glare at man, babe?"

Tifa smiled slightly and filled his shot glass. "Only when you come in here and tell me so."

He smiled and downed the shot with a flick of his wrist. "For all your lecturing about my manners, you love it when I come in."

"A girl's gotta make some gil some way," she murmured as she turned to return the bottle to its spot on the shelf. "And I'm not going to be making much more, so I'm going to close up early."

Reno smirked as he looked at the barmaid. She didn't seem to notice his eyes on her, so he let his eyes wander a little more. She had a body a man could sink into and enjoy for hours. Her eyes were the kind a guy could happily get lost in. She was the type of girl who needed more than a cheap pick up line for her to even notice you. He knew he needed more than his usual flirting and compliments if he had any hope of getting anywhere with her.

"Um, did you not get the hint?" Tifa asked expectantly. "When I said I was going to close early. That means you need to leave…like, now."

"Aw, come on, babe," he said as he got to his feet. "Can't I just watch you clean up and then leave?"

"No."

"You'll want the company once I'm gone," he persisted.

"Not _your_ company," she said tartly.

"Hey! I've been the picture of civility since I entered your establishment," he protested. "Admit it, I have behaved myself the whole night."

Tifa shrugged. "Maybe, but the longer you stay, the more likely it is that you'll try to make a pass at me or cop a feel."

Reno mockingly covered his heart with his right hand. "Babe, you cut me to the quick with your accusations!"

Tifa couldn't help laughing softly at his melodrama. "Well, it's true."

He chuckled softly and nodded. "You're right, Teef. I wouldn't be able to restrain myself." He dropped enough gil on the counter to cover his bill for the night before turning away from her. "See ya tomorrow."

Tifa nodded and watched him head towards the door, suddenly wishing she hadn't told him to leave. He was a shameless flirt and a no good Turk, but he had a personality that made a person forget all that. Plus, he had looked for Denzel and Marlene when the remnants had taken them. She shrugged and scooped up the money he had left before dropping it into the cash register. Alone again.

"I know you said it was closing time, but how about a dance for the road?" Reno said from the door.

Tifa looked up at him. "I don't know Reno…"

"What's the worst that could happen?" he asked with a smile.

She raised her eyebrows. "Are you serious?"

"Hey, are you implying that I would take advantage of a situation like this?" he asked. He watched her cross her arms over her chest and give him a look, which said that was exactly what she thought. He smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Okay, I'll give you that one. Look. I promise I'll behave. Please?"

Tifa rolled her eyes and finally relented. "Okay fine, but if one cheesy love song comes out of that juke box, I swear I'll rearrange your face."

He held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Okay fine! I happen to like my face the way it looks."

_So do I_, she thought to herself. She began blushing as she turned away pretending to be busy counting the stock she had behind the bar while he selected a song. She mentally chastised herself for letting Reno's charm get under her skin. She had seen it in use a half a dozen times during the week with varying degrees of success, so she should know better than to pay any attention to his flirting.

"I'm waiting, beautiful," he called in a singsong voice.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she made her way around the bar to where he was standing. He had picked a soft jazzy song and was currently hold his hand out to her. She looked at it doubtfully before placing her hand in his and letting him pull her into his arms. He held her close, but his grip on her was light. He was humming along with the song and she couldn't help but smile. If he behaved like this more often, he would find a better caliber of women attracted to him instead of bar hopping floozies.

She found herself unnerved by his silence and looked up at him. "Aren't you going to hit on me?"

He smirked and shook his head. "Nope."

"Are you trying to trick me into sleeping with you?" she asked suspiciously.

He laughed and again shook his head. "Nope."

She shrugged and looked away again completely confused by his actions. She had just assumed this was a way to at least feel her up, yet he was being a complete gentleman. She was about to say something when he sighed and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

"Sometimes a guy just needs to shut it off for a while, you know?" he said quietly.

She looked up at him in surprise. He seemed a million miles away as he glanced down at her.

"I know how you feel," she said quietly. "Always being strong and happy for everyone around you can tiring."

"Your friends are idiots if they can't see they're wearing you out," Reno said. "And don't yell at me for calling them idiots because it's true. Even _I_ can tell the difference between when you're really happy and when you're just putting on a show for the benefit of others, and I'm a drunk-ass, yet ruggedly handsome, Turk."

"You don't think much of yourself, do you Reno?" she asked dryly.

He laughed softly and squeezed the hand he was holding. "Hey, when you are disliked by most people like for your career choice like I am, you _have_ to hold yourself in high esteem, 'cause no one else will, yo!"

She looked up him seriously. "I think you're an okay guy, Reno."

He smiled and gently stroked her back. "Thanks babe. That means a lot to me."

And suddenly the song was done and he was stepping back from her, but still held her hand. He slowly raised it to his lips and smiled before kissing the back of it. She blushed as she held his eyes with hers until he relinquished her hand. He turned without another word and waked towards the door.

"Reno," she called softly. He turned and looked at her. "Thanks for the dance."

"It was my pleasure," he said with a smile. "See ya tomorrow, Lockheart."

She walked over to the door and locked it behind him before leaning against it. She sighed before smiling to herself. Reno could be a jerk sometimes…and other times he was just what she needed to carry on through to the next day.


End file.
